On many occasions, the Igloo iceless cooler has been my favorite cooler. When we worked for months at a time away from home traveling and working in the 100-degree heat this cooler was a life saver. All you need to do is plug it into the cigarette lighter and you will have cold beverages. The Igloo lunch cooler is well made and fits great on the passenger floor of your vehicle.
Our affordable ice chest designs are thoughtful, intuitive and reliable because we think of YOU and the adventures you’re planning to take our coolers on. Inside, you’ll find what Igloo describes as 50 quarts of storage space for your food and beverages. The actual number came in just a bit lower when I double-checked it, as I was only able to fill the MaxCold with 46.5 quarts of water before the lid wouldn’t close without overflowing. Still, that’s a decent amount of space for the price, and more than enough to keep plenty of cold beers on hand.
However, the zipper can be a bit stubborn at times and it needs some additional features to be a real home run choice for us. This cooler combines acceptable ice life with awesome mobility, tons of features, and an attractive look. We like lgloo Cooler how Igloo managed to cram so many cool accessories into this cooler while still maintaining great build quality and a decent asking price. We highly encourage you to check out this ice chest if you want a large cooler that is more mobile.
If portability is a priority, we recommend looking at options with wheels, such as RovR’s RollR 45 or Igloo’s Trailmate Journey. We tend to steer clear of most bargain-basement coolers—they may work well for a day or two but often lack the impressive ice retention of premium models and won’t stand up as well to regular outdoor use. Igloo’s ECOCOOL 52 isn’t totally exempt from these drawbacks, but it’s more well rounded and functional than much of the budget competition. For just $60, the Igloo boasts a generous 52-quart capacity, and the proprietary foam insulation does a good job keeping food and drinks chilled for up to three days (in the right conditions, of course). The feature set is also pretty well sorted for the price, including four self-draining cup holders and functional lifts at the bottom that slightly elevate the cooler off the ground or truck bed. Igloo also added holes in the swing-up handles, allowing you to string a bungee between them to make carrying heavier loads easier.
Where it lacks is in its overall ice life, very limited storage space, and simply being too pricey for what you are getting. This is an excellent all-around ice chest that doesn’t have any major flaws. The ice life is acceptable and the construction is, for the most part, up to par.